The Dogman
by aboywhowantedtobegod
Summary: A merchant group is trying to make their way to Rivet City to rade, but most of the roads are blocked off by rubble. The only way to get there is through the subway, where stories of the dogman come from… Inspired by Darkotha's character of the same name. Rated M for gore and violence.
1. Chapter 1

Washington D.C. What a shithole. Thought Damian, looking through the destroyed capital, nothing but a broken memory of it's former splendour. In addition to the hordes of raiders, super mutants, and all other manner of job hazards traders and merchants would encounter without fail, many of the pathways were blocked off by destroyed buildings. While someone might be lucky enough to climb over the rubble if they were daring or agile enough, it was impossible for a caravan with a Brahmin to even attempt such a feat.

"Son of a fucking bitch, how are we going to get to Rivet city at this rate?" Shouted one of his companions, recognising it as the voice of his eldest son, Maximillian. Though Damian considered Max his own blood, he was actually an orphan slave who he bought at an auction. Damian didn't much appreciate slavery, and would liberate them whenever he could. He had his fair share of scars from freeing slaves from slaver camps, but when he saw a young Max for auction, he didn't want to risk the life of the boy, and bought him. He had been with him ever since. He was now eighteen, tall and slender, with soft muscles. His long dirty blonde hair fell down to the butt of his combat shotgun, which was holstered comfortably to his back.

"We'll find a way. We always do…we could always swim the river?" This time the voice was that of his soft spoken wife, Sarah. Despite being almost fifty – a rare feat in the wasteland – she looked as though she was in her late twenties. The only features that betrayed her age was her long silver hair and the wrinkles around her eyes, which could easily be mistaken for smile wrinkles. She was easily the shorter and weakest of the group, but she lacked in physical strength, she made up for in intelligence and endurance. "It's a dangerous bet, but do you think we could manage it?"

"I don't think so," Damian said, shaking his head. "That water is irradiated to hell, and I doubt we have enough rad-x or radaway between us to make the trip."

"Plus the Brahmin would tire and drown before we got too far," Said Jane, Damian's only daughter. She was the spitting image of her mother, with the only exception being her softer features and her dark hair. She went up next to the Brahmin and rubbed its right head gently, causing the large cow to snuffle contentedly. "Bessie is a strong girl, but she even couldn't swim that trip,"

"And there's the mutants and raiders to consider as well," this came from their guide, a member of a mercenary group called Reily's Rangers they had hired. The tall guide was named Roger, and this was his first job for the company. "You thought they were bad in the wastelands, their numbers only get thicker the deeper into DC we go,"

"Well then, what do you propose we do then, Roger?" Damian asked.

"There is a network of old subway tunnels that run throughout DC. There is one entrance not to far off from here, and it should take us a couple of days to get to Rivet city," Roger stated. However, there was a lingering tone in his voice that the rest of the group easily picked up on.

"But…?" Max impatiently inquired, tapping his foot on the broken concrete, kicking up small puffs of dust with each movement.

"There's some raiders and ghouls down there. It's nowhere near as bad as it was since the brotherhood started up project purity a few years ago. But there's also the Dogman."

"The…Dog…man?" This meek little squeak came from a small figure clinging to Sarah's leg. Daryl, Damian's second son and the youngest of the group at nine years old.

"It's only supposed to be a story, but folks who have walked into those tunnels claim hearing insane giggling and seeing a man with a dog's head and s knife running around. The same people have claimed to have had their gear stolen and animals being lost in their sleeps. An unlucky few have even had loved ones go missing, only to find their bodies-"

"Shut up, you're scaring the kid!" Max barked at the guide, snapping him back to reality. He looked down at the child to see him shaking and clinging ever tighter to his mother's leg, who was shooting Roger a dirty look. Roger cleared his throat, and smiled, trying to reassure the child.

"But it's only supposed to be a story," The guide said, hiding the fact that the people who told these tales weren't exactly the type of people to lie. His words didn't seem to help the child, but Max's words and actions cheered up his little adopted brother. The tall teenager crouched down next to the kid and ruffled his hair playfully.

"Don't worry, lil' tyke. Nobody is going to touch my little bro while I'm around. They try and touch you, and big Maxie will go pow-pow-pow." Max made a gun with one hand and moved it as though he were shooting at something. This made Daryl giggle and smile, which eased up the group. Tensions solved, Damian turned back to the guide and made a motion with his head.

"Come on, Roger, where is the entrance then?"

"Just a bit south,"

"Well, then, let's get going," Damian commanded, and the group made its slow trudge forward. But as Roger was about to head off, Maximillian came up to him and grabbed him by the straps that were on his shoulders, lifting him up. Despite the thick heavier armour and the even heavier man inside the armour, Maximillian didn't seem to have a problem picking up the man.

"Listen here, you prick. You dare scare my fucking brother like that again, and I will make sure you have to crawl home, no matter what my dad or anyone else says. Capisce?" Whispered Maximillian in a harsh, threatening whisper. Though Roger had fought and killed bigger and badder things than the man who was threatening him right now, the low angry tone and bitter look in Max's eyes terrified David, who quickly nodded.

"Oh, we are clear. We are so, so clear,"

"Good…" Max whispered before dropping David back to his feet and slapping the ranger's cheek playfully, the snarl on his face replaced with a smile of false camaraderie. "That's a good boy. Now hurry up, we got a ways to go,"

 **oo0oo**

The normal eerie silence was replaced by the growl of a mutated mutt, then its dying whimper as sharpened metal cut violently against its belly, spilling out its contents. After a few seconds of silence, an evil laugh followed. And then wet slurping as the Dogman dug into his latest feast, still on the edge of life. But then, the rattling of a cage door surprised him, and he quickly retreated into the safety of the shadows, carefully but rapidly making sure he didn't trail any blood. From the darkness, he watched as some new prey stumbled into his lair, and they all looked around his recently slain feast.

 **oo0oo**

"Daddy, is it still alive?" whimpered Daryl, clinging ever tightly to his mother's trouser leg, both sickened and somewhat fascinated by the twitching, gory corpse.

"Yeah…Look away, Daryl. I'm going to put this dog out of its misery," muttered Damian. Even though Daryl quickly closed his eyes, Sarah also covered her youngest child's eyes with her hand. Crouching down next to the whimpering, dying dog. Damian hushed and stroked the dog's matted fur, comforting it in its last moments. Pulling a long blade from his belt, the glint of steel and scrape of metal against metal startled the dog slightly, but it was in no shape to do anything other than watch.

"It's ok, boy…shhhhh….it's ok…" Damian continued to pet the dog as he plunged the blade quickly into the dog's throat, ending its suffering. A few moments after its death, Damian continued to pet the dog, the slightest hint of tears in his eyes. Wiping them quickly, he stood up straight and wiped the bloodied blade on the edge of his trouser leg before sheaving the blade.

"Come on, let's keep moving. And keep your wits about you. Whatever did this cant be too far away."

 **oo0oo**

The dogman watched as the new intruders left his prey dead on the floor and go into the subway system. Once their voices had disappeared into the darkness, he quickly crawled towards the downed corpse and continued to eat. As he munched and slurped on the raw innards, his mind thought only of the prey that stumbled into his web. And though the dog satisfied him for now, it wouldn't be long before he started hunting again.

The Dogman was always hungry.

So hungry…

(Notes: Ok, this story has been sitting in my documents for a while, and even though I already have several projects on the go, I'll upload this one as well, since I intend it to be fairly short. Pleasenote this character is not mine, but he is inspired from the web series "The DC Chronicles" on Youtube. You guys should check it out. It's pretty good. Hope you guys enjoy this story and ADIOS!)


	2. Chapter 2

"Christ, man! You never said these tunnels would go like this!" shouted Max, the torch taped to his weapon one of the only sources of illumination for the group.

"I'm pretty sure we are going in circles, this place looks familiar," grumbled Jane, holding a flashlight in one hand while holding a pistol in the over, looking around nervously.

"That's because we HAVE been here before!" Damian pointed out, looking annoyed at a large blown up map stuck to one of the walls of the metro tunnels. While the station they were looking for would take them directly to Rivet city, they were on the exit that would take them to the Mall, a vast area that Damian wanted to avoid at all costs. Though there were rumours of a ghoul settlement nearby, he didn't want to take chances. He had heard the place was also full of super mutants and slavers.

"Look, we aren't as lost as it seems," Roger wanted to point out, tracing a tunnel network with his finger. "If we just follow this network here, we should be able to get to the city no problem."

"You know what, actually? We'll rest up for the night," Damian commanded. "We have been chasing our own tails and quite frankly, we are all exhausted. Trying to find our way out in this state will do us no good. We'll make camp for the night," and just as he finished his sentence, a scuttling sound and a metal can clanging made them all jump. This caused both Max and Roger to fire blindly down the subway tunnel, only stopping when Damian ordered them to stop.

"CHRIST! We don't know what's in here, do you want to draw whatever is in here straight to us? Because you are doing a fine job of it," Damian barked, slapping his son at the back of the head.

"I heard something!" Max challenged, squaring up to his father.

"You heard a rat!" Damian shouted, grabbing the barrel of his son's shotgun and forcibly pointing it downwards. Sure enough, there was a normal sized rat that had crawled its way into a can. Max's shells had made short work of the can and the rat inside. Damian sighed, and grasped his son's shoulder. "What do I keep telling you, son?"

Sighing, Max holstered his shotgun and recited the lesson he had heard a million times over. "Don't fire my gun until I know what I'm shooting at," he growled.

"Exactly, and I hardly think one rat is worth all those shells," Damian half joked, hoping to get a laugh out of his son, but instead only getting a grumpy look. Rolling his eyes but still smiling, he walked over to the rest of the group. "Alright, we'll make camp here. Max, you are on first watch duty,"

"Got it,"

"We'll change once every three hours, but we won't stay long….this place give me the creeps," Damian whispered.

o **o0oo**

When everyone decided to retire for some rest, they elected to go without a fire. Though it would be a small comfort – some light in the darkened tunnels as well as warmth – it would act as a magnet to whatever lurked deep in the tunnels. Thankfully, by the time Max had settled in for his shift, his eyes had already adjusted to the darkness, though that did nothing to put him at ease. The sounds of his companions soft breathing and Bessie's snuffling were all he could hear. His nerves were on high alert, and from his current position, he could see down the tunnel if anything tried to sneak up on him.

At least that's what he hoped for.

Little did he know that something else was already in here and had his eyes on him.

 **oo0oo**

Decades of living in the dark had turned the dogman into the perfect ambush predator. He could tell that Max was healthy and strong. A direct assault would yielded little chance for success. He had to become one with the darkness. When usually he would dash upon unsuspecting prey, instinct told him that Max was already expecting something. So he adopted the slow and steady approach. He lay prone on the floor and relaxed his muscles and breathing, moving his body at the slowest possible rate, occasionally stopping to feel around for any laying debris that would betray his presence.

Closer and closer he crept...

Max still continued cleaning his shotgun, unaware of the approaching danger.

So closer and closer the dogman crept...

Closer...

Closer...

He was right next to Max now, who was still none the wiser to his attacker's presence.

With a slow and delicate pace, the dogman reached forward and grabbed the first thing he felt, a ruptured can with a dead rat inside it. Finally, he took a chance and threw the can behind him. His gamble paid off as the can hit the wall, and Max jumped to attention. The dogman heard the young man whispering as he walked towards the sound.

"Don't shoot until you know what you are shooting at, don't shoot until you know what you are shooting at..." he continued to mumble as the dogman stealthily adjusted himself to avoid being stood on. When Max had his back to the dogman, that was when he finally struck. Jumping up to the balls of his feet, in one smooth motion, he brought a knife out of belt and cut deep into Max's throat, using his free hand to muffle the gurgling screams.

It was over quickly for Max.

The corpse was too heavy to carry. He would have to be drug to his lair.

And the rest of the prey would follow suit.

 _(Notes: Finally updated this bitch! I apologize for not having updated sooner. Been super busy. If you like it, feel free to follow this story and check out my other ones. If you love it, please check out my Patron as Charlie Keates! It would mean a lot. Thanks again and adios!)_


	3. Chapter 3

Damian awoke with a strong feeling of anxiety and concern. When his life constantly flirted with danger, he subconsciously learned to sleep lightly. When Max hadn't turned in for his watch, his father knew – even within sleep's grasp – that something was wrong.

At first glance, it was apparent that his gut feeling was correct.

Max was nowhere to be seen.

Damian's automatic response was to roll over to the edge of his mattress to grab his gun, simultaneously throwing himself up to full height, ready for a fight. His eyes, long used to the darkness, didn't see anything. He had learned long ago when surrounded by darkness, to not focus on shapes, but movements instead. When he couldn't see anything, he flicked on the torch attached to the front of his rifle, swivelling it to and fro in a slow scanning motion.

Still nothing.

Slowly stepping forward, he only made a few short steps before his boot made a dull splash. He looked down to inspect what it was. Against the pale cement, there was a dark red trail that – upon inspection – led into the distant shadows. It started off as a large puddle, thinning out into a trail as it continued off into the darkness. Damian feared the worst. Though he had years of experience in violence and horror, it was still a challenge to swallow the rising feeling of trepidation in the pit of his stomach.

A feeling that only multiplied instantly when he heard a whispering voice behind him.

"Damian...What's going on?"

Her voice was heavy with sleep, but Damian could still hear the undertone of worried curiosity in her voice. With the torch pointed away slightly from his wife, he could see her shake her head from side to side.

"Where's Max?"

This time, any hint of tiredness in her voice was gone, the panic of a mother searching for her baby consuming her tone. Her tone and slowly increasing volume was enough to stir the rest of the group from their sleep. Daryl rubbed his eyes, still half asleep and still in his mother's embrace. Roger and Jane were rolling for their equipment and scrambling to get up in their feet. When Roger flicked on the switch for his torch, the light reflected off of the dark liquid, forcing Damian to look again, his worst fears doubly confirmed.

Blood.

Sarah followed the trail with her light deeper into the subway, her heart breaking with every foot she followed. However, she thought to herself she had to stay tough for her family and tried her best to keep her emotions in check, even Daryl tugged on the sleeve of her thick jumper.

"Mama, where's Max?" The small child asked, his genuine curiosity a contrast to the adult's very real horror. Sarah put on her best forced smile and stroked the little boy's matted hair.

"I don't know, honey, but we'll find him," Sarah felt a small tremble wavering in her voice, betraying her confident facade. She sincerely hoped Daryl didn't pick up on it. However, Damian noticed and walked towards his hunched over wife and child, hooking his gun over heis shoulder and placing one reassuring hand on his wife's shoulder, the other tussling his son's hair, causing the small child to giggle.

"Yeah, we'll find him," Damian agreed. He wasn't lying to the poor boy, but he didn't want to reveal his greatest fear to him. Though the amount of blood spilled said otherwise, Damian clung to the unlikely chance that his adopted son was still alive, and he wanted Daryl to keep thinking his older brother was alive and well.

But if he wasn't...

Woe to the poor beast that took his son away from him.

 **Oo0oo**

The dogman dragged his bloody corpse deeper and deeper into his lair, panting with excited hunger. The scent of blood was overwhelming, consuming the Dogman's thoughts, demanding he throw caution to the wind and tuck into his meal. But instinct and experience taught him better than to do such a foolish act. Even now, he saw torchlight in the distance, though it was far enough away from him and wouldn't be able to pick him up. It actually gave him some satisfaction that he wouldn't need to go out of his way to hunt his prey.

His prey was actually coming to him.

As he continued, he developed another thought, strained aginst his overwhelming hunger.

The prey was following the body.

Perhaps he should leave them something...

 **Oo0oo**

Damian couldn't believe it. Though the only expression of his shock and surprise was his slightly raised eyebrows, he was screaming internally. Daryl and Jane weeped, the older woman trying to cover the small boy from the sight, Sarah was in her knees in a stae of paralyzed shock, and Roger was throwing up violently against a nearby wall.

On a single metal pole, was Maximillian's head, tendrils of sinew and muscle dangling out of his severed neck, dripping blood.

Hope left Damian's body, only to be consumed be a fiery rage.

Damian vowed to find his son's body.

And murder the beast who did this.

 **(Notes: Finally updated this bitch! Plan to have at least one death per chapter from now on, i don't intend this to be a long one, just a nice short something. I hope you guys enjoy! Thanks for reading and adios!)**


	4. Chapter 4

The dogman continued to stalk his quarry, following close behind them in the shadows. He sniffed and crept as close as he dared without disturbing the already agitated group or being caught in their field of the flashlights. However, his patience was wearing frighteningly thin. They were right there in front of him, and if he hadn't learned from the past, he could have them. The young boy – well, at least the softest parts of him – had made an all too appetising snack, and he couldn't wait to taste the rest of them.

That's when his trained ears heard it.

The group continued to trail into the tunnel ahead as if they heard nothing, but the Dogman – despite being a trained hunter – wasn't the apex predator in these dark ancient tunnels. The odd Deathclaw held that title.

That's when he thought about it a bit more.

This wasn't a threat, but more an opportunity.

 **Oo0oo**

Damian paced forward with careful anticipation, waiting for a solid form to pop out of the darkness. However, in these tight passage ways and corners, Damian had learned you heard threats long before you see them. All he heard though was the odd rattling pipe, and the soft sobbing of his family. Though it killed him inside, he refused to join them in mourning.

At least, not until he found his son and buried him.

A ghostly roar snapped him out of his thoughts, echoing off the walls and snapping everyone to silence.

"You heard that?" Roger whispered. Damian could almost hear him shaking in his boots. If it wasn't for the paralyzing echo, the older man would've been disgusted that this boy could hold the title of mercenary. Then, another animalistic growled again, this time much louder and spurring the group into action.

"Turn your lights off and hide!" He hissed harshly, clicking off his torchlight and jumping into a train car, ducking behind one of its seats and waiting. Everyone did the same. Without a light source, all Damian could do was tuck his body into the tightest corner we could and hope he hadn't been spotted by whatever the fuck was coming down the lonely tunnel. As it answer his thoughts, a series of thumps and a recurring growl could be heard through the smashed windows of the car Damian hid himself in. He tried to push himself harder into the small spot, holding his breath but getting ready to throw down. If it was what he thought it was, it could hack through the metal of the train car easily and turn him into a quick meal in seconds, but not without a few rounds in its head.

It seemed luck was on their side, however, as the sound of a something metal hitting against brick could be heard deeper into the tunnel, loud and clear as day. The Deathclaw picked up his pace, and lumbered deeper into the labyrinth of networking tracks, safely away from the group. Damian popped up and flicked his torch on; quickly scanning for his family, who sat in the car across from him. Damian motioned once with his head to escape deeper into the tunnel, away from the threat. They didn't have to go far, when the noticed a maintenance door nearby, way too small and tucked too deeply into mortar for a big animal to claw their way into.

Damian looked around him, his fear replaced with relief as he sighed and scanned the face who looked up at him. There was Daryl and Jane, the small boy tucked protectively under his mother's arm. Sarah hugged her shotgun with the same pierce passion of a lover, refusing to let go. And there was...

Wait, Damian thought, confused. Looking again between the figures that were there. Again, everyone was accounted for with the exception of Roger. A concerning observation that caught everyone else's attention, causing quiet panic throughout the small group.

"Where's Roger?" Piped up Daryl, looking at his dad for an answer, an answer that his dad kept from him for fear of terrifying the boy.

"Let's just keep moving," Damian commanded. "I don't like this place,"

 **Oo0oo**

The Dogman clambered into the pipes, internally cursing his luck as the giant reptile snapped the body of Roger in a few quick bites. The dogman had been able to get the jump on the poor boy: unlike the rest of the group, Roger ducked round a corner instead of hiding into the train cars. He ambushed him in a similar way he did Max, but the merc waved his hands out wildly, dropping his rifle in the process, catching the predator's attention. The Dogman was too quick, too alert to let himself be caught by the Deathclaw. Still, though he was alive, he still was angered at the loss of his prey. All of the risk, and none of the reward.

Soon, the deathclaw continued aimlessly through the tunnel, until such a point where the threat was far enough in the distance, that the dogman climbed back down. He grumbled angrily. All that remained was a pool of blood and some shattered bones that survived the beast's giant jaws.

The dogman looked out in the opposite direction, his everlasting hunger fuelled with rage and frustration.

 **(Notes: And then there were four! I hope to finish this story soon, as I am more excited to write the ending than the events leading up to it. Still, I hope you guys enjoy! Thanks for reading and ADIOS!)**


	5. End

The dogman trailed his prey from the safety of the pipes. With only four remaining and three of them being a particular threat, he crawled the closest he ever did to his quarry. And despite the fact they were nearing the exit for Rivet City, there was still one last surprise for the group...

 **Oo0oo**

Damian trudged through the thick darkness, continuing to drag his family close behind him. He could hear them whispering and grumbling below their breaths, but at this point, he didn't care what they were talking about. He was only concerned about getting them out. The darkness was beginning to become overbearing, and he could swear he was hearing more whispers other than his family just talking to each other.

Then a sound echoed down the hallways that snapped them all to attention and silence.

A sharp hissing groan.

Damian crouched down and slowed his pace to a snail's pace, while the rest of the family sped up theirs. Sarah moved up close next her husband's side, while Jane moved in close behind him, pushing Daryl in between the group to create a protective cordon. As they continued deeper into the tunnels. They clung to the walls as much as they possibly could while advancing slowly. As they continued onwards, they saw the thin outlines of feral ghouls, contorted twisted humanoid masses shambling aimlessly. Even in the dim light, Damian turned around to the group, and they all looked up at him, sharing the same message silently.

Don't make any noise.

That's when they heard a shattering sound.

 **Oo0oo**

The dogman followed the progress of the group as they moved deeper into the network of tunnels, noting the unusually large collection of ghouls congregating around the passage. The ghouls had no real need t He smelled an opportunity and fished around for something to distract them when he wrapped his hand around the conical form of a beer bottle. Flinging it towards the group, it shattered, making the ghouls aggressive.

He simply had to be patient now.

 **Oo0oo**

The ghouls started and growling, turning towards the group. With their position given away, they all turned around and laid down fire at the mutants. They kept firing and firing, but this was an unnatural number of ghouls. No matter how much rounds they unload into the advancing hordes, they kept getting closer and closer. In a last-ditch effort, Damian took note of where the ghouls were coming from. They were coming from the direction the group had just came from.

Then he thought up of something.

He turned down to his youngest and grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt. He pushed him with all his force and turned back to firing upon the ghouls, who were gaining on them.

"RUN, DAYRL! RUN!" He called out over his shoulder, and he did just that. He sprinted into the darkness. The sounds of the ghouls and gunfire grew more quiet and more quiet the deeper he went.

He didn't notice the dogman stalking him.

He didn't hear his knife swing down into the back of his neck.

(Notes: Ok, this is a project I'm honestly disappointed in. I expected this to be a lot more than what it turned out to be. I'm just finishing up this project for the sake of finishing it and start focusing on my other WIP's. Thanks for reading and adios!)


End file.
